Nedved not ready for Czech return
 |  Pavel Nedved is fit enough for Juventus but not for the Czech Republic |
| |
PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Czech captain Pavel Nedved will not return to the national squad until he feels he has fully recovered from a knee injury despite playing for his club Juventus.
The 32-year-old midfielder has missed two internationals since suffering the injury during the Euro 2004 semi-final defeat by Greece, sparking debate in the Czech media about his willingness to play for the national team.
"My health condition is so serious that it does not enable me to show equally strong and reliable performances for both the Czech team and Juventus," said Nedved.
"This is the reason why I decided to only play for Juventus while my health troubles linger and while my treatment continues," he added.
Nedved missed the Czech Republic's 0-0 draw against Greece in a friendly in August and last week's 2-0 defeat to Netherlands in a World Cup qualifier.
But he played for Juventus in a Champions League qualifier and their opening Serie A match against Brescia last Sunday.
"I never said I would to like to end or that I am ending my career as a Czech national team player," Nedved said.
"If I stopped playing international football now, the only reason would be my poor physical health."
Nedved said he was planning to issue another statement about his career once he has fully recovered
The Czech Republic are due to play Romania in a World Cup Group One qualifier on October 9 and Armenia four days later.
Finland, Macedonia and Andorra are also drawn in the group.
